Peter Gunn again

 

Last week, we looked at the first of two stories in Four Color #1087 (April-June 1960).  Today, we'll examine the second story, also written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by Mike Sekowsky.

"The Purple Clue" is also a well-written detective tale. One the way to meet a potential client, Pete's car is run off the road by a purple car that then speeds away. Soon after, a paint factory burns to the ground--it's later discovered to be a professional arson job. Pete's client was to be the owner of that factory.

The owner has an old enemy--a man who did time for embezzeling from the company and had sworn vengence for being sent to the slammer. But he'd been a model prisoner before being recently parolled and there's no hard evidence against him for the arson job.

Pete goes to the suspect's home and, after an encounter with a mean-tempered dog, gets a look at the guy's car. It's green--not purple. And the suspect, though openly happy about the fire, claims innocence. Also, the job was done by a pro--and this guy is an embezzler, not a fire bug.

Pete, though, takes a sample of clay from a tire before leaving. A lot of legwork follows, in which Pete eventually discovers that the suspect had learned the tricks of the arson trade from a fellow prisoner while in jail.

Remembering the clay from the tire, Pete finds a clay-covered side road and evidence that purple paint was wiped from a car using solvent while parked there. Using a cat to lure away the dog from the suspect's garage, he finds a streak of purple paint under the hood that hadn't been washed off. The guy catches Pete and tries to get the drop on him, but it's not easy to get the drop on Peter Gunn.

So both stories are solidly written detective stories that flow along logically, with clues and plot twists that make sense. Without the jazz music and Craig Stevens' laid-back but still tough portrayal of Gunn, the comic inevitably feels a little different that the TV show. But either story would have fit into the TV show lineup with no trouble at all.

Next week, we'll leave the mean streets of L.A. and head to outer space, where we'll once again join the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.